Key military and veterans’ services panelists offer assistance to vets while volunteers from local service organizations staff a live phone bank and answer viewers’ questions

PHOENIX -- (July 22, 2014) Eight, Arizona PBS is producing two new half-hour Ask an Expert broadcasts on the topic of veterans' issues. The first of two episodes focuses on challenges faced by returning veterans and resources available to assist with their transition to civilian life – from returning to the workplace and re-adjusting to day-to-day family life, to addressing medical and psychological traumas they may have sustained during active duty. It premieres Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.

“Eight, Arizona PBS recognizes the immense service and sacrifice provided by America’s men and women in uniform and their loved ones,” says Eight’s General Manager Kelly McCullough. “It’s important to find ways to serve our large veteran population here in Arizona, and to help address their unique needs.”

Panelists featured during the half-hour broadcast will include:

Nicola M. Winkel - Program Consultant and Community Liaison for the Arizona Coalition for Military Families (ACMF), a public/private partnership focused on building Arizona's statewide

capacity to serve and support all service members, veterans, their families and communities http://arizonacoalition.org. Ms. Winkel is the spouse of a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

Colonel James P. Isenhower III - Director of the Office of Warrior and Family Support, Joint Chiefs of Staff. http://www.jcs.mil/About/WarriorandFamilySupport.aspx. The office works with other federal agencies, military services, and non-governmental organizations to lead the effort to improve the quality of life and work for returning warriors, their families, and the families of the fallen. Col. Isenhower’s combat deployments include three tours in Iraq in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn in Mosul, Baghdad, and the Diyala Province.

The panel will be moderated by Ted Simons, award-winning host of Eight’s Emmy Award-winning Arizona Horizon.

The program will include a live phone bank, staffed by volunteers from local veterans’ service organizations, both public and private, who will take calls from viewers, answer questions and make service referrals. The phone bank will open at 5:30 p.m. and remain open until 10 p.m.

The broadcast will be supported by a resource-rich website at www.azpbs.org/veterans. A video of the full broadcast will also be archived to Eight’s website for viewing online.
Veterans Coming Home is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

About Eight, Arizona PBS

Eight, Arizona PBS is a trusted community resource. For over 52 years, the PBS station has focused on educating children, reporting in-depth on public affairs, fostering lifelong learning and celebrating arts and culture. Eight achieves its mission through the power of non-commercial television, the Internet, educational outreach and community-based initiatives. Its signal reaches 80 percent of the homes in Arizona. With more than 1 million viewers weekly, Eight consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the country. For more information, visit azpbs.org.

Eight is a member-supported community service of Arizona State University.